System and method for improved tile roof hip and ridge vent

ABSTRACT

A single piece ridge vent for use with tile roofs comprising a generally rectangular piece of sheet metal folded to form an inverted U-shape comprising a top, a left side having a left flange and a right side having a right flange, wherein the left flange and the right flange provide a means for attaching the single piece ridge vent to a roof sheeting.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to hip and ridge vents for tile roofs, and more particularly, to an improved single-piece vent providing for simpler installation.

2. Background of the Invention

Hip and ridge vents for tile roof are well known in the art. As would be apparent to one skilled in the art, hip and ridge vents are structurally similar. Accordingly, when referring to a “ridge vent” herein, “hip vents” are encompassed by the term. Conventional tile roof ridge vents, shown in FIG. 1, comprise at least five different components and require several steps to install on the roof. The primary components of a conventional ridge vent are left side venting material 10, right side venting material 12, left side metal flashing 14, right side metal flashing 16, and center stud 18. In addition to these components, the vent may also include a wrapping material or other weather-proofing coat for the center stud. Center stud 18 is typically a 2×4 or 2×6 stud and is used anchor the other components of the ridge vent to the roof and to hold cap tile 20 in place on the ridge of the roof

The installation process for conventional tile roof ridge vents is as follows:

1. All components must be raised to the roof. This step generally takes two workers to complete given the size and weight of the materials.

2. Center stud 18 is wrapped with a weather wrapping or coated with a weather sealant to protect the wood. This step, while optional, is generally required to weatherize the center stud, which would otherwise rot due to moisture.

3. Center stud 18 is fastened to the roof sheeting using a nail fastener or other fastening means.

4. Left side venting material 10 is attached to center stud 18 and to the roof sheeting.

5. Right side venting material 12 is attached to center stud 18 and to the roof sheeting.

6. Left side metal flashing 14 is attached to the roof sheeting and to left side venting material 10.

7. Right side metal flashing 16 is attached to the roof sheeting and to right side venting material 12.

8. Cap tile 18 is fastened to center stud 17 using a nail or other suitable fastener.

Due to the number of steps required to install conventional tile roof ridge vents the overall process requires at least two skilled roofers and is time consuming to complete. A need therefore exists for a system and method reducing the number of components and steps needed create a tile roof ridge vent.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,554,700 to Dixon, discloses a ridge vent for use with tile roofs that does not require a center stud. Dixon's ridge vent comprises a main body portion, a neck portion extending from the main body portion and a pair of flanges depending from the neck portion and extending away from one another. The neck portion of Dixon's ridge vent further comprises a pair of accordion-like panels which permit the length of the neck portion to be increased or decreased to vary the spacing between the main body portion and the flanges. While the ridge vent disclosed in Dixon appears to eliminate some of the components and steps associated with conventional ridge vents, it adds other complexities and steps to the process. Namely, there are added steps of bending the ridge vent to shape it and connecting the two sides of the lower portion of the neck portion together to hold the vent's shape. A further step is adjusting the height of the ridge vent according to the requirements of the tile roof. Another problem with the ridge vent disclosed in Dixon is the added complexity in the manufacturing process necessary to manufacture the accordion-like panels. In light of these drawbacks, conventional ridge vents such as shown in FIG. 1 remain the industry-standard. In fact, there are no known commercialized ridge vents utilizing Dixon's design. A need therefore existing for a simpler system and method for creating and installing a ridge vent for use with tile roofs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a single piece ridge vent for use with tile roofs. The single piece ridge vent is made up of a generally rectangular piece of sheet metal folded to form an inverted U-shape. The top of the inverted U is used to support the cap tile on the roof ridge. The left and right sides of the U-shape include flanges providing a means for attaching the single piece ridge vent to a roof sheeting.

A ridge vent according to the present invention may include a metal insert or wood filler to provide additional material for nails or screws used to secure the cap tile to the ridge vents. Alternatively, if the ridge vent is made of heavy enough gage of sheet metal, no metal insert of filler may be needed. In addition to manufacture out of sheet metal, a ridge vent according to the present invention may be made out of heavy-duty plastics or other synthetic materials.

The present invention reduces the steps required to install a ridge vent for tile roofs, disclosing a new method for such installations. The method of the present invention includes the steps of raising a first piece ridge vent having a left flange and a right flange onto a roof; attaching the left flange to a roof sheeting; attaching the right flange to a roof sheeting; and attaching a cap tile to the single piece ridge vent. As the single piece ridge vent may comprise multiple lengths of venting, additional steps may be included to install each subsequent length of ridge vent along the entire length of the roof ridge. In preferred embodiments, an end portion of each successive ridge vent is overlapped onto the prior ridge vent in a manner to insure that water runs down and away from the seams between the two ridge vent lengths.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an end-view of a conventional tile roof ridge vent.

FIG. 2 shows a ridge vent according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows an end-view of a ridge vent showing the flow of air from the building structure through the vent.

FIG. 4 shows an end-view of a ridge vent, including a metal insert according to the invention installed on a tile roof.

FIG. 5 shows an end-view of a ridge vent, including a wood filler piece according to the invention installed on a tile roof

FIG. 6A shows a top-view of a first ridge vent and second ridge vent according to the present invention installed together on a tile roof

FIG. 6B shows a side-view of the first ridge vent and second ridge vent show in FIG. 6A installed together on a tile roof

FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing the steps that may be used to install a single piece ridge vent according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 shows two different ridge vents according to the present invention, each having different heights, as determined by the length of the sides.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 2 shows a ridge vent according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the present invention comprises a one-piece system providing a simplified installation process. Ridge vent 20 comprises a generally elongated inverted U-shaped apparatus having flanges 21 and 22 for attaching ridge vent 20 to a sheeting or rafter. Venting holes 23 are included on left side 24 and right 25 of ridge vent 20 as shown in FIG. 2. As would be apparent to one of skill in the art, venting holes 23 may comprise holes in the vent as shown in FIG. 2, or may comprise elongated slits or louvers in the sides.

In a preferred embodiment, flanges 21 and 22 include pre-drilled holes 26, shown in FIG. 2, to simplify the process of attaching the flanges to the roof sheeting. However, such pre-drilled holes are not necessary in embodiments of the present invention.

In one embodiment, a ridge vent according to the present invention is made of heavy gage sheet metal, such as “24 gage” or “26 gage” galvanized steel sheet metal. The gage of the sheet metal may be varied as needed to reduce costs, but it has been found that a heavier gage provided better stability for a ridge vent according to the present invention. In other embodiments, a ridge vent according to the present invention may be made using synthetic materials via, for example, an injection molding process.

Unlike conventional ridge vents, a ridge vent according to the present invention does not require a separate center stud for installation. Instead, flanges 21 and 22 are securely directly to the roof sheeting. Cap tiles 30 are attached directly to top of ridge vent 20 as shown in FIG. 3. Arrows 32 in FIG. 3 show the direction of airflow from the attic space of the building structure through ridge vent 20 to the exterior of the building.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of the present invention including metal insert 40. Metal insert 40, if included, within ridge vent 20 provides additional anchoring for fasteners 42 used to secure cap tile 30 to ridge vent 20, as shown in FIG. 4. Alternatively, filler 50 may be attached to ridge vent 20 as shown in FIG. 5. As would be apparent to those skilled in the art, filler 50 may made from wood, plastic or any suitable material to provide additional gripping for fasteners 42. In either embodiment, metal insert 40 or filler 50 may be attached at the factory such that ridge vent 20 is a single piece venting system. In one embodiment, metal insert 40 or filler 50, if included, do not run the entire length of ridge vent 20. Instead, gaps are left on at least one end of each ridge vent to accommodate a better fit during installation as described below.

As known in the art, ridge vents typically comprise several vents joined together to cover the length of the roof. A single very long vent could be used, but it would not be very practical. Accordingly, ridge vents according to the present invention are fitted together as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. The gap one at least one end of each ridge vent allows the vents according to the present invention to snugly fit together in a layered fashion. That is, for example, ridge vent 60 is installed on the roof first. Ridge vent 62 is placed on top of ridge vent 60 such that gap 64 on end 65 of ridge vent 62 is filled by a portion of ridge vent 60 as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. Further, a ridge vent according to the present invention installed in this manner allows the installer to insure that water would run down the exterior of the ridge vent rather than seep into the seams. That is, a ridge vent according to the present invention should be installed such that vents at higher elevations on the roof are installed over those at lower elevations as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. In some installations, it may be preferable to apply a sealant between the overlapping portion of ridge vent 62 and ridge vent 60. However, as described herein, the sealant is not necessary because of the counter-flashing affect of the ridge vent components.

Unlike convention ridge vents, a ridge vent according to the present invention does not require multiple steps to install. Instead of the eight steps required to install a conventional ridge vent, a ridge vent according to the present invention can be installed in four steps as shown in FIG. 7. In step 700, a ridge vent according to the present invention is raised to the roof. This step can be accomplished by a single worker. In step 710, flange 21 is attached to the roof sheeting. In step 720, flange 22 is attached to the roof sheeting. In step 730, cap tile 18 is fastened to the top of ridge vent 20 using a nail or other suitable fastener. Steps 610 and 620 are arguably one step, that is attaching the ridge vent to the roof via the flanges. As shown in the flow chart in FIG. 7, further steps may be added to the process identified above. That is, in step 740, the process is concerned with whether or not additional lengths of ridge vent are needed to complete to roof ridge vent installation. If so, the process may go on to optional step 750. In step 750, a sealant may be applied to the gap in the second piece of ridge vent to be installed. The sealant, if used, may comprise caulking or for example, a two-inch wide stick tape sealant. After sealant, if any is applied, the process moves on to step 760. In step 760, the second piece of ridge vent is installed in an overlapping fashion onto the first piece of ridge vent installed. After step 760, the process returns to step 710 where the flanges are attached to the roof sheeting.

Referring back to FIG. 2, the height of ridge vent 20 is determined by the length of sides 24 and 25. Unlike the ridge vent of Dixon which requires the installer to adjust the height according to the specific requirements of a roof, a ridge vent according to the present invention need not be adjusted. Instead, it is well known in the art that typical ridge vents are either five inches in height or three inches in height. FIG. 8 shows ridge vent 80 and ridge vent 82 each having a different height, depending on the height of the sides. That is, for example, vent 80 may be constructed such that its overall height is three inches, while vent 82 may be constructed such that its overall height is five inches. Accordingly, a single piece ridge vent according to the present invention may be manufactured to meet the needs of the majority of tile roof installers. However, a ridge vent according to the present invention is not limited to the specific heights of three or five inches, but may be manufactured having any specific height required for the roof in question.

A ridge vent according to the present invention has been described as a generally U-shaped object. The manufacturing process used to form such a ridge vent preferably includes hard bends to form a generally three-sided rectangular form as shown in the Figures. Alternatively, if the gage of sheet metal is such that no metal insert of wood filler is needed, then a more rounded shape may be utilized. Further, the flanges may comprise hard bends such as shown in the Figures or may comprise rounded bends. All that is needed is to have some flattened portion that may be used to secure the ridge vent to the roof sheeting as described herein.

Filler material, if included, may be attached to a ridge vent according to the present invention using any conventional manufacturing methods. As such, the filler may be glued to the inside of the ridge vent or may be secured by screws or rivet to securely attach the filler to the vent. Similarly, if a metal insert is used, the metal may be welded to the inside of the ridge vent or attached using some other manufacturing method including for example, screws, rivets and the like.

The foregoing disclosure of the preferred embodiments of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many variations and modifications of the embodiments described herein will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in light of the above disclosure. The scope of the invention is to be defined only by the claims appended hereto, and by their equivalents.

Further, in describing representative embodiments of the present invention, the specification may have presented the method and/or process of the present invention as a particular sequence of steps. However, to the extent that the method or process does not rely on the particular order of steps set forth herein, the method or process should not be limited to the particular sequence of steps described. As one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate, other sequences of steps may be possible. Therefore, the particular order of the steps set forth in the specification should not be construed as limitations on the claims. In addition, the claims directed to the method and/or process of the present invention should not be limited to the performance of their steps in the order written, and one skilled in the art can readily appreciate that the sequences may be varied and still remain within the spirit and scope of the present invention. 

1. A single piece ridge vent for use with tile roofs comprising a generally rectangular piece of sheet metal folded to form an inverted U-shape comprising a top, a left side having a left flange and a right side having a right flange, wherein the left flange and the right flange provide a means for attaching the single piece ridge vent to a roof sheeting.
 2. The single piece ridge vent of claim 1, wherein the sheet metal is galvanized steel.
 3. The single piece ridge vent of claim 1, wherein the sheet metal is 24 gage galvanized steel.
 4. The single piece ridge vent of claim 1, wherein the sheet metal is 26 gage galvanized steel.
 5. The single piece ridge vent of claim 1, further comprising a metal insert securely attached to an inside portion of the inverted U-shape to provide a means for attaching a cap tile to the top of the ridge vent such that a fastener may be driven through the cap tile and through the top of the ridge vent and through the metal insert.
 6. The single piece ridge vent of claim 5, wherein the metal insert runs the entire length of the ridge vent.
 7. The single piece ridge vent of claim 5, wherein the metal insert runs the entire length of the ridge vent except for a gap on at least one end of the ridge vent.
 8. The single piece ridge vent of claim 7, wherein the gap on at least one end of the ridge vent is at least 1 inch long.
 9. The single piece ridge vent of claim 1, further comprising a filler piece securely attached to an inside portion of the inverted U-shape to provide a means for attaching a cap tile to the top of the ridge vent such that a fastener may be driven through the cap tile and through the top of the ridge vent and into at least a portion of the filler piece.
 10. The single piece ridge vent of claim 9, wherein the filler piece runs the entire length of the ridge vent.
 11. The single piece ridge vent of claim 9, wherein the filler piece runs the entire length of the ridge vent except for a gap on at least one end of the ridge vent.
 12. The single piece ridge vent of claim 11, wherein the gap on at least one end of the ridge vent is at least 1 inch long.
 13. The single piece ridge vent of claim 9, wherein the filler piece is made of wood.
 14. The single piece ridge vent of claim 9, wherein the filler piece is made of plastic.
 15. The single piece ridge vent of claim 1, wherein the left and right side of the generally inverted U-shape are at least five inches long.
 16. The single piece ridge vent of claim 1, wherein the left and right side of the generally inverted U-shape are each at least three inches long.
 17. A method for installing a ridge vent on a tile roof, said method comprising the steps of: (a) raising a first single piece ridge vent, having a left flange and a right flange onto a roof; (b) attaching the left flange to a roof sheeting; (c) attaching the right flange to a roof sheeting; and (d) attaching a cap tile to the first single piece ridge vent.
 18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of overlapping a small portion of a second single piece ridge vent over a first end of the first single piece ridge vent thereby counter flashing the seam between the first and second single piece ridge vents.
 19. The method of claim 18, further including the step of applying a sealant between the first and second single piece ridge vents.
 20. The method of claim 20, wherein the sealant comprises a caulking material.
 21. A single piece ridge vent for use with tile roofs comprising an elongated inverted U-shape comprising a top, a left side having a left flange and a right side having a right flange, wherein the left flange and the right flange provide a means for attaching the single piece ridge vent to a roof sheeting.
 22. The single piece ridge vent of claim 21, wherein the elongated inverted U-shape is made of sheet metal.
 23. The single piece ridge vent of claim 21, wherein the elongated inverted U-shape is made of heavy-duty plastic materials.
 24. The single piece ridge vent of claim 21, wherein the left flange extends at a first angle from the left side and the right flange extends at a second angle from the right side.
 25. The single piece ridge vent of claim 24, wherein the first and second angles are greater than 90-degrees.
 26. The single piece ridge vent of claim 24, wherein the first and second angles are less than 90-degrees.
 27. The single piece ridge vent of claim 21, wherein the left flange extends at a right angle from the left side and the right flange extends at a right angle from the right side. 